A mother has been arrested after her toddler shot a three-year-old girl, after they were allegedly left to play in the room alone with a .22 calibre rifle.

Melisa Ann Mumpower, along with her boyfriend William Monroe Simmons, have been charged by Randolph County Sheriff's Office, in the state of North Carolina, with failing to store a firearm to protect a minor and felony child abuse.

They have also been charged with misdemeanour child abuse - because of the condition of the house they lived in.

Melisa Ann Mumpower, who has been charged by the sheriff's office

It was Simmons' daughter, who was shot through the arm, with the bullet penetrating through to her stomach.

The child has been in surgery at Brenner Children's Hospital, and is expected to recover fully from her injuries, Fox 8 reported.

Simmons' one-year-old child was also at the house when the incident took place. Mumpower told police she had been cleaning up in another room when she heard shots fired.